Aural haematoma

The Nature of the Disease and Possible Causes

Aural haematoma occurs when blood or serous fluid has accumulated inside the earflap (otherwise known as the ear’s pinna). In some cases, blood clots are present. This disease may manifest as a total ear flap swelling or just a small part most especially in very minor cases. Often, one area of the flap gets easily affected. It is also characterized as a warm swelling, but usually not painful.
Your pet can develop such, as a result of frequent head shaking and doing some scratches near his ears. The canine does this when he feels some irritation within his ear canal. As a result, he may accidentally rupture the blood vessels causing them to break. Thus, bleeding occurs. The blood pools within the skin of the ear causing the thickening of the flap.
There’s another theory with regard to the occurrence of aural haematoma. Some claim that it is a result of an auto-immune disorder affecting the blood vessels.

What’s with the ears that make them very susceptible to haematoma formation?
The ears are not made of bones but cartilages that are padded with a skin layer on each side. The cartilage is responsible for the ear’s shape. In addition, there are many blood vessels passing through the said cartilage that’s why frequent shaking of the head can rupture these vessels; also because of the sliding action of the skin across the sides of the cartilage.

The treatment
There are several treatment options for aural haematoma. One can be used in itself but oftentimes, the more effective approach is to use a combination of many treatment modalities:
1. The administration of steroidal medications
2. Just as in other conditions that involve trapped fluids within body cavities, aural haematomas need to be drained using a needle and syringe. Moreover, the vet usually administers some medication solution to suppress inflammation and prevent further pooling of blood. Repeated draining is not surprising that’s why many dogs who are subjected to this kind of approach are locally sedated to relieve them of the discomfort. For cooperative canines, this simple procedure is quickly done with them kept conscious. Overall, this approach is called aspiration.
3. For cases involving the whole pinna, surgical drainage is recommended with the provision of a general anaesthetic. A scalpel is used to remove a small portion of the earflap’s skin to give access to the draining blood or fluid. After the procedure, stitches will have to be made, as well as, the application of the appropriate bandages throughout the flap since the skin that was pushed away from the cartilage needs to be kept intact to eradicate possible areas for blood to pool within the earflap. Vets will also expect for some other infections to be present. In this case, concurrent treatment is done to subjugate the other existing infections. Proper medications like antibiotics need to be administered in the form of drops. If the concurrent condition involves trapped foreign bodies within the canal such as seeds, then these have to be extracted out as well.

Disclaimer

This pet health article is for reference only.

If your pet is showing any symptoms or distress, and you suspect your pet is ill CONTACT YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY.